The recipes

Coconut Cream Cheese Frosting:

INGREDIENTS
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
4 cups confectioners' sugar
2 tablespoons heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon coconut flavoring*
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup sweetened shredded coconut
1 cup sweetened shredded coconut, toasted* (optional)

DIRECTIONS
Beat the cream cheese and butter in a mixer bowl until light and fluffy. Gradually add the confectioners' sugar, one cup at a time, alternating with heavy cream. Beat in the salt, coconut flavoring, and vanilla extract. Continue beating until mixture is smooth and spreadable. Add additional confectioners' sugar if necessary to thicken the frosting, or more cream to thin. Stir in the coconut. If desired, spoon toasted coconut evenly over frosted cake.

*Chelsey's version did not have coconut extract or toasted coconut and it didn't need it.

Grasshopper (Mint) Brownies

From the book 'Rosie's Bakery All-Butter Fresh Cream Sugar-Packed No Holds Barred Baking Book'.

Ingredients
3 1/2 ounces Unsweetened chocolate

12 tablespoon Unsalted butter (1 1/2 sticks) at room temp

1 1/2 cups Sugar 3/4 teaspoon Vanilla

3 large Eggs at room temp.*

14 tablespoon All purpose flour (3/4 cup + 2 TBS)*

-- MINT BUTTERCREAM -- 1 cup Confectioners Sugar 4 tablespoon Unsalted butter (1/2 stick) at room temp2 teaspoon Peppermint extract

-- GLAZE TO TOP MINT BUTTERCREAM -- 4 ounce Bittersweet chocolate 2 teaspoon Light corn syrup

*This doesn't make a very large pan so Jen doubled the recipe then used one less egg and 1/4 cup less flour for a less cakey brownie. Good call. It was baked on a jelly roll pan - or what I know to be a cookie sheet.

Instructions

1. Melt chocolate and butter in a double boiler over simmering water. Cool the mixture for 5 minutes.

2. Place the sugar in a medium-sized mixing bowl and pour in chocolate mixture. Using an electric mixer on medium speed, mix until blended - about 25 seconds. Scrape the bowl.

3. Add the vanilla. With mixer on med-low speed, add the eggs one at a time, blending after each one until yolk is broken and dispersed - about 10 seconds. Scrape the bowl after the last egg and blend until velvety -- about 15 more seconds

4. Add the flour on low speed and mix for 20 seconds; finish the mixing by hand, being certain to mix in any flour at the bottom of the bowl. Stir in ½ cup of the nuts.

5. Spread the batter evenly in an 8-inch square pan (greased) and sprinkle the remaining 2 tablespoons of nuts over the top.

6. Bake the brownies at 350°F on the center oven rack until a thin crust forms on top and a tester inserted in the center comes out with a moist crumb -- 25 to 30 minutes.

7. Remove the pan from the oven and place it on a rack to cool for 1 hour before cutting the brownies.

8. Cream sugar, butter, and extract using electric mixer at high speed until white and fluffy - 2 to 2½ min. Spread buttercream over cooled brownies and freeze for 1 hour. Melt chocolate for glaze in double broiler, remove pan from water and stir in corn syrup. Allow glaze to cool to point where it is no longer hot but is still loose and spreadable. Spread glaze over top of mint buttercream. Refrigerate brownies for 30 minutes. Cut with thin, sharp knife dipped in hot water and dried before each cut.